Obscurity
by The Infamous Jack
Summary: Sometimes, strength is not enough to earn recognition. The Inuzuka have turned to one young chuunin to return their clan to its previous glory, but is Kiba up to the challenge?


Author's Notes:

First of all, I do not own Naruto, which is licensed in the United States by ShoPro Entertainment.

Second, I would like to dissuade any of you who have read my other work and came here hoping for another comedy by my sister and I. Laura had nothing to do with this fanfiction, perhaps accounting for the genre shift. I simply wrote it to express my unhappiness over the lack of recognition for my favorite clan. Please enjoy this, because there wont be a second chapter (probably).

Obscurity

Two and a half years later, he comes back, and everybody's fine with it. Where the hell has he been? Where was he when the Mist was pouring spies into the village? Where was he when his little girlfriend Sakura was beaten to blood and tears in the chuunin exam? Now his selfishness has earned him strength at our expense, and he'll only diminish those of us that stayed behind and worked hard…

Kiba dragged his feet as he walked the main road of the Village Hidden in Leaf, the same road he had walked on countless times as a child. He missed the days when he was teammates with Hinata and Shino, when they could hang out together. They still hung out, nearly every day, but back then they had an excuse and didn't feel awkward whenever one of their parents happened to walk by. Kiba envied Team Ten, which could be seen at any given bar or nightclub throughout the week without a care in the world. Their fathers had been teammates and still wandered the streets together, so they had nothing to fear. Shino was expected by his father to be independent and unrestrained by society. Hiashi decreed that Hinata was supposed to keep herself in the 'highest of social circles', none of which included such unseemly clans as the Inuzuka or Aburame. Kiba's mother…

Kiba's mother and sister had grown increasingly aggressive toward him, concentrated on the development of his strength and the honing of his skills. Kiba was the genius of their clan, which had fallen into obscurity over the past few generations, and was meant to restore the Inuzuka to their original infamy. So far he had done a good job hiding the bruises he had gotten for failing to fulfill this purpose, but his two friends were getting more and more suspicious as the zeal of Kiba's family increased.

Kurenai had noticed as well. She noted a dramatic rise in the amount of time Kiba would spend training, along with a proportional rise in his skill level. Such maneuvers as the Double Wolf Fang no longer drained him of chakra as they once did, and he no longer relied on Soldier Pills to keep up his stamina. Over the past two and a half years Kiba had grown significantly, and suspicions of his upcoming promotion to Jounin rank were rampant among the upper-level shinobi.

That changed as soon as a young man with bright yellow hair marched through the gates of the village. The Hokage hadn't stopped talking about him for days. The jounin groups that gathered outside Hokage Tower didn't discuss the rebirth of the Inuzuka clan, they were too busy recollecting the Kyuubi attacks and Jiraiya's capabilities as a teacher. Without a doubt, Uzumaki Naruto was the new focus of the village elite, even as a genin.

The Inuzuka were not deaf to this, and Kiba was the target of much animosity among the clan members. Even those below him, genin fresh out the academy and chuunin that had gotten through their exams on technicalities, scowled at him as he passed. He was supposed to be their hero. He was supposed to bring glory to their clan. Now, he was just another chuunin, another let-down from a backwater clan. He trudged his way home in the rain and the dark, feeling more ill at ease in his own clan's territory now than he had ever felt under the glaring eyes of the Hyuuga as he picked up Hinata to train or to go visit his girlfriend.

As Kiba pushed his back door open, his mother, Tsume, was sitting at the dining room table, a cigarette smoldering in the ash tray. She only smoked when she was upset.

"Where have you been? It's almost two in the morning!" she demanded, rising to her feet.

"Out," Kiba muttered, attempting to push his way past his disgruntled matriarch. She took him by the shoulder and heaved him back in front of her. Kiba was at least eight inches taller than his mother, but she was still the most intimidating woman in the clan.

"Out _where_?"

"Out training. Where else?"

"Don't you dare lie to your mother, Inuzuka Kiba." She spat the name out as though it were bitter tea. "Who do you think you're fooling? That _girl's_ scent is all over you."

"We were sparring," Kiba offered, knowing full well that the explanation would be proven false.

"I can smell her in your hair, Kiba, even through the rain. She may be a Hyuuga, but there's no way she could reach you _there_ if you were just sparring."

The truth was obvious, so Kiba didn't feel the need to clarify that he had spent some quality time with Hyuuga Hata that night rather than training. Hata was a relation of Hinata's somehow or another, and Kiba had gotten along with her _very_ well from the moment they met. The entire Hyuuga clan, especially Hiashi, supported this, hoping to keep Hinata from developing such relationships outside of the clan.

Obviously, Hata was only a distraction in the eyes of Tsume, who wanted her son to unite the clan as Chieftain, just as the Inuzuka heroes had done four generations ago, before choosing a mate from his own clan. There hadn't been an Inuzuka Chieftain since the days of the Second Hokage, mainly because there hadn't been a genius in the clan since then. Kiba's importance lay in this position, and straying from such goals would only prove to delay the clan's resurrection.

After a long silence, Tsume spoke again. "Stay in the Inuzuka territory from now on, Kiba. Your sister and I will watch your development. No visitors."

Kiba had expected such a declaration for some time, and had feared the day it would be given. "That's outrageous!"

"IF IT'S OUTRAGEOUS, THEN FIGHT ME FOR YOUR FREEDOM! PROVE THAT YOU'RE STRONG ENOUGH TO LEAD YOUR OWN LIFE!" Kiba's mother refused to look at him as she shouted these words to the floor. After regaining her composure, she looked up at her son. "Look at you. Look how strong you are, how fast you are, and how little you care to train these qualities for your family. I'm getting older, Kiba, but I'm still number one in this clan. Until you usurp me, you'll do as I say."

Kiba reacted as he always did to his mother's outbursts. He grumbled maliciously and left the room. Tsume had never intended for Kiba to leave, however, and followed him. She wanted him to challenge her, to fight, to win, to be stronger than her. As soon as she got within arm's reach of her son she plunged a fist into his ribcage, sending him to the floor. A long string of expletives could be heard for a block in each direction, cursing Tsume but never once challenging her supremacy.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Kiba shouted in pain, feeling the small crack in his bottom rib. He had received much worse in his lifetime, but Tsume had caught him completely off guard.

"Why did you leave, Kiba? Why did you accept what I said?"

Kiba blinked, caught off guard once again. "What are you talking about? What did you want me to do, say 'no'? Do you _want_ me to defy you, mother? Or do you just want an excuse to knock me around some more?"

"You really don't get it, do you, Kiba? I DON'T WANT TO BE HEAD OF THIS CLAN!"

Kiba only cocked his head to one side, more confused than ever. "Huh?"

"Kiba, _you're_ the genius, _you're_ the one with all the gifts of the Inuzuka. _YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LEADING THIS CLAN, NOT ME OR ANYBODY ELSE!_"

Kiba, now seeing his mother's point perfectly, closed his eyes and breathed deeply. If he didn't, he'd never be able to hold himself back. "That isn't fair."

"Excuse me?"

"It isn't fair to put those kinds of expectations on me."

Tsume followed suit with her son, looking away and doing her best to remain calm. The amount of tension in the air was tangible, palpable, a presence neither of them could deny and refused to acknowledge. "Get up. Face me."

Kiba did so, standing up straight and ignoring the biting pain in his side. His eyes showed clear ire for the woman before him. His mind alone held him back, knowing that Tsume was the epitome of power in their clan. _It would be worth it, to die here, defying her. Maybe then my life would at least have some meaning in my passing._

"Kiba, I don't want to hear another word from you…"

I could attack her now, and the whole village would see me fail… 

"…just go to wherever it is you crawl to hide from the world…"

…_but at least then I would know I had the strength…_

"…and don't come back out until morning."

…_to stand up to her and say…_

"No, mother." If this is what she wanted, then Kiba would deliver with zeal. He realized how inescapable his mother's ambitions were. If he never waxed insurrection against her then he'd be a slave to her will. The moment he did fight back, however, he would either die or become the clan leader by process of elimination. _Well, if it's bound to happen, then I'm not going to waste any more time backing down._

Tsume took a deep breath and looked at Kiba. When she did, she could see the wrath in his eyes, the determination that hadn't been there before. It was too little, too late, and she refused to be proud that her son was finally standing up to her. "Just do it, Kiba. I don't want any of…"

"Go to hell."

The last straw fell. Tsume swung a heavy knee for her son's injured side, but when she connected she found the figure in front of her to be nothing more than a dining room chair. A moment later a crash sounded behind her, and she whirled around to see Kiba break through the back door. Refusing to let him get away, Tsume charged out after him. As soon as her figure passed through the doorway, however, a cement brick from a neighbor's garden connected with her hip, sending her crashing to the grass.

Okay, I've hit a woman. Not just a woman, but my mother, whom I have defied and engaged in battle. I'll probably die now, so I need to take hold of every advantage I can get, and don't get caught up in gender like I do with Hinata and Hata. Mother is a jounin, after all, she's not defenseless. Just fight.

Kiba's train of thought ended as two dogs, Akamaru and Kuromaru, came running out the back door to their respective masters. Kiba held up his hand before Akamaru could approach, and both dogs halted to hear what he had to say. "Dogs, inside. This is between the two of us."

"Are you crazy? Tsume-san will kill you!" Akamaru protested, instinctively walking between his master and his opponent.

"Get inside, Akamaru." Kiba never wavered.

"You too, Korumaru," Tsume added, staggering to her feet. Her eyes were fixated on Kiba, and she didn't need any distractions during such a fight. Tsume took on a defensive stance, charging her ears and nose with chakra, expecting Kiba to make the next move. She was far stronger than he in basic taijutsu, but Kiba was a genius and several aspects of their clan techniques were far stronger in her son than herself. With luck, Kiba had not realized this. Either way, the fight would be drawn out. Both the dogs watched from the doorway, expecting the exact same outcome.

Kiba did not waste time. As soon as the canids were inside he drew a kunai and charged, a maneuver he should have been too smart to attempt. Tsume readied her own kunai and smirked, expecting an easy hit from such a basic attack. Just before coming within arm's reach of his mother, Kiba came to a dead halt, and a small white sphere rolled out of his sleeve. It hit the ground with a grand explosion of light and terrible sound, sending Tsume's chakra-enhanced ears reeling.

The noise of the flash-bang grenade, coupled with Tsume's subsequent screaming, caught the attention of nearly the entire Inuzuka clan. Within minutes every adult of the bestial clan gathered around the back yard of Tsume's household, watching intently as she and her son proceeded to knock each other senseless. The fight was particularly brutal. The brawling style of the Inuzuka was designed for combat against those not of the clan, who would be accustomed to fighting from three or four feet away. Kiba and Tsume, both brawlers by instinct, closed this distance handily, never more than a foot from each other and swinging limbs with all force as often as an opening could be found. Kiba was quite clearly stronger than his mother, who would grunt with every blow he landed, but Tsume had experience and found far more opportunity to attack.

Nearly ten minutes passed with neither combatant in the clear lead. The Inuzuka elders gathered to watch the fight, hearing rumors of Kiba finally overthrowing Tsume, and were taking notes furiously. After a particularly heated bout the two pugilists backed off from one another, breathing heavily and holding themselves up by their knees. Patches of blue showed through the holes in Kiba's shirt and blood dripped slowly from his nails and knuckles. Tsume was in better shape, but not by much. Her ears were still ringing sorely from the flash-bang, and a painful sucker-punch to her jaw had kept the metallic taste of blood in her mouth for more than five minutes now. Worse, Kiba's strength and energy showed little sign of waning, and every blow he landed seemed just as forceful as the last.

"C'MON! GET IN THERE, TSUME-SAMA!"

"GET HER, KIBA-KUN! TAKE HER OUT!"

The crowd cheered merrily, as though this were some planned sporting event. They were not entirely wrong, as this fight had been premeditated since Kiba was fourteen. The elders took no part in this, though the oldest could be seen letting a smile slip here and there whenever Kiba scored a hit.

Tsume was brought back to the fight by the sound of hands clapping together. Kiba was taking the fight to the next level, and she would have to quickly follow suit. She formed the same seal as her son and crouched.

"Beast Effect Ninpou: Quadruped Technique!"

Both mother and son announced and performed the technique at the same time, but Tsume couldn't have been more frightened. Despite her experience, her Beast Effect Ninpou were far inferior to Kiba's. After the technique was completed, she still looked much the same, her longer teeth and claws clearly present but her body still rather upright. Kiba, on the other hand, could easily have passed for a bear. He was completely crouched on all four of his limbs. His canine teeth would have been too long to be used, blocking off the jawbone, if the structure of his entire face had not changed. His nose grew out, his eyes were forced nearly shut by his cheekbones, and his spine cracked as it curled downward. Even Kiba's toenails, protruding from his zori sandals, seemed lethal weapons. The crowd went into an uproar at Kiba's fine display of their clan's signature talent. Kiba shot a wide, fanged, toothy grin at his mother.

"Now, let's begin," his low, mutated, hoarse voice commanded. Tsume growled in empty threat. She was no match for Kiba like this.

Kiba made the first move once again, charging now with the intent to make real contact. Grass and soil was sent airborne as he ran, a cloud of early-morning dew trailing his footfalls. Tsume, knowing that taking a hit with Kiba in this form would be devastating, charged forward herself and leapt, lopsided, from the lawn.

Tsume struck Kiba with the Piercing Fang technique, initially drawing blood but quickly finding herself slowed significantly. Kiba, somehow anticipating this maneuver, had reared back on his hind legs and caught her midair. His hands were badly cut from such a block, but their thick calluses prevented any kind of real bleeding. Tsume, still rotating with chakra but at less than half her normal speed, only looked on in horror as Kiba began the Piercing Fang himself, but in the opposite direction as Tsume. The opposing force soon overcame all resistance Tsume's technique could offer, and the leader of the Inuzuka clan was sent spiraling into a nearby tree. The hapless oak was snapped in half, and the top would have crushed the lifeless woman if her son had not seen his way clear to catch it before it fell.

The crowd went mad. Cheers and flowers filled the air, and Kiba's relatives and comrades rushed in to congratulate him on the victory. The word "Chieftain" floated among the crowd, not evading the ears of Kiba as well as the elders. Inuzuka Kedamono, oldest and wisest in the clan, was the one to quiet the cheering mob and approach the new successor to the clan.

"Kiba-san, you have defeated Tsume-san and thus proven your might. The Elders and I have been expecting this for some time, and we would like to offer you the position of Chieftain of the Inuzuka Clan." The crowd began to applaud and whistle, but Kedamono held up his hand for silence. "Do you accept?"

Every Inuzuka present smiled and leaned forward, waiting to celebrate his acceptance, but to their shock and dismay Kiba hung his head. He turned back to look at Akamaru, who was wagging his tail at the prospect, but quickly turned away so as not to be swayed. He looked, instead, to his mother, motionless on a stretcher, practically ignored in the wake of her son's coming promotion.

_This is what she's been doing all these years. The anger, the yelling, the bruises, the degradation, it was all to make me stronger. Do I even _want_ to be Chieftain? Does she even care?_

_Of course she cares. She knows this will be good for me. She knows it will be good for me, the clan, the village. Becoming Chieftain would make a lot of people happy, especially me…_

But somehow, I don't want to do it. It's…it's the same as letting her win. It's telling her that, by force and coercion, she can control me. I can't give her the satisfaction, I can't let her win after what she did to me. I can't let her think that she is the stronger of us two, that I'm as weak and petty as she is. There's only one way to prove that…

"I accept."

…and that is to take the job, to reign over her and her people, and to prove that bitterness and spite don't hold sway over me.

From the center of the Village Hidden in Leaf, a bright orange glow could be seen in the partially-wooded area tucked away under the western arm of the city. Men and women, barely identifiable as human in the firelight, danced and sang and feasted on this long-awaited and unexpected occasion. The Hyuuga would no longer scoff at their name, the Hokage would no longer see them as an afterthought, and the stories of the strength of the Uchiha would wane in comparison to their might. The Inuzuka were united, their Chieftain reborn.

The End-

Thank you for your time, and please remember to review.


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